Special Features | The Mandarin

Whatever happened to ‘evidence-based policymaking’?

by Gary Banks

Despite all the talk, the main obstacle to using evidence in policy development is not so much lack of (potential) supply as lack of demand.

National Integrity Commission’s chief architect: Attorney-General’s fears overblown

by A J Brown

The Attorney-General is wrong to claim the rights of public servants, ABC journalists and others would be violated by the National Integrity Commission proposed in federal parliament this week, according to its chief architect, Professor AJ Brown.

Platforms, not projects, key to executing DTA’s ‘Vision 2025’ strategy

by Darryl Carlton

The DTA's role is to create a platform for digital transformation, not to promote individual projects. The projects belong to individual departments and agencies, argues Darryl Carlton.

The passion for making a difference is our greatest asset ‒ and we must preserve that

by The Mandarin

APS review panel member and Coca-Cola Amatil Australia chief Alison Watkins reveals her observations of the public service and dwells on the role of business in contributing to the reform debate.

Burnout in the workplace: when there’s nothing left in the tank

by David Donaldson

Many people don't pick up on the warning signs of burnout before reaching crisis point. An organisational psychology expert identifies six "pain points" that can lead to burnout.

APS is ageing fast, and its older employees most want to stay

by Harley Dennett

Today's average federal public servant is female, 43-year-old, an APS 6 in a service delivery role in Canberra. She's been working for the APS for 11 years and never moved from her starting agency.

Tom Burton: VPS key to ‘delivering’ the ‘Danslide’

by Tom Burton

If there is an unsung hero of Saturday’s so-called 'Danslide' state election result, it is the Victorian public service.

Evaluation: moving beyond well-intentioned fads and towards a new professionalism

by Nicholas Gruen

An evaluator-general should lead a renewed focus on understanding the impact of government programs, independent of their delivery and insulated from the demand for appropriate 'messaging' in other parts of the system. It could lead the way beyond bureaucratic fads to a new professionalism, writes Nicholas Gruen.

10th anniversary of the Global Financial Crisis ‒ and prevention against the next one

by The Mandarin

We won’t necessarily know beforehand where or when the next crisis will start. But if trouble arises, Australia’s experience demonstrates the old toolkit of responses still works.

If you build it, will they come? Solving the participation problem for parenting support

by The Mandarin

Parenting support programs can reduce the impact of socio-economic disadvantage on children, but only if parents participate, and often there is no funding for encouraging them. Dr Naomi Hackworth presents new research on how and why that must change.

What we can learn from Indigenous success in the USA

by Australia and New Zealand School of Government

Many Indigenous communities in the USA have used tribal self-determination and access to land to build an economic base and deliver benefits to their people.

Digital manifesto: ‘trust deficit’ must be overcome to realise ‘Vision 2025’

by Stephen Easton

“It is an enormous journey — one that will ultimately impact every government department, and every Australian.” So says the federal government’s new Digital Transformation Strategy, which sets an ambitious goal of making all its public services available online by 2025 with as little need for phone lines and…

Remaking performance management

by David Donaldson

Most organisations' performance management systems are unpopular and ineffective. How can they be improved?

The future of government is moral, says Victoria’s most senior public servant

by Centre for Public Impact

Chris Eccles says the public service has defined itself by both moral purpose and big ideas for many decades. It’s just that the moral dimension has never been expressly articulated.

Enablement: how governments can achieve more by letting go

by Centre for Public Impact

In recent decades, many governments around the world have embraced a service delivery mindset inspired by management practices from the private sector. But now a different mindset is emerging, driven by younger generations who don't want to be customers.